Monday, June 4, 2012

How Did I Get Here? An Introduction.


Sometimes, when I can’t figuratively see past the end of my nose, all I can do is take a step back and try to analyze where I am and how I got there. Five years ago, I was graduating college with a very illustrious Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I was in the process of transplanting my existence from Richmond, VA back to my hometown, and coming to terms with the fact that, now, I had to become a Real Live Adult. I had to get a job, flee the nest, pay my dues, find my place in the world, etc. etc. After an 8-month stint as a childcare professional, my highly romanticized dreams of becoming a teacher were shattered when I realized that I was not cut out for the intense inter-teacher drama that goes hand-in-hand with educating the young minds of our future. Finding myself at an unanticipated crossroads, I chose the path of least resistance and jumped into the professional world of office administration, hoping to somehow find my niche. In the years that have followed, I've experienced so much sideways momentum that sometimes I feel like I’m stuck slowly orbiting the edge of a whirlpool, and it’s all I can do to keep from being sucked down into a dark and dismal grave. That’s pretty melodramatic, but I hope it has accurately impressed upon you how I feel about office administration.

About a year ago, after being laid off from a lackluster job with a foundering direct mailing company (I was the one who sent you all that junk mail promising you a new car if you only donated $5 towards curing heart disease!), I decided that enough was enough. I finally came to terms with the fact that no, I am not cut out for office work – I don’t care for excel spreadsheets or monthly metric reports or recruiting the Perfect Candidate for one of our new contracts. I don’t care for filing a forest’s worth of paper dating back to 1987 or trying to figure out exactly which daily report title will piss my boss off the least. I needed a way out. I’m currently still searching for that exit, but I’m moving closer every day. I started school again in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Graphic Design. I am currently working (another) lackluster administrative job, but there are a few perks – it’s only five miles away from home, my boss is kind (and allows me a semi-flexible schedule), my coworkers are all wonderful, it gives me the time to work towards that exit, and I know I won’t be stuck here forever.  Even though it’s sometimes difficult for me to envision a life that doesn’t revolve around my alarm clock, I know that if I just keep going, someday I will be able to dictate my career, instead of having a job that dictates me.

1 comment:

  1. Yep, postin' here as your super secret friend with my super secret (boring) blog!

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